Disadvantages

							Should parents be
encouraged to home school
their children?



Valerie Meyers
Janelle Mitchell
Kristin Thomas
Definition of Home
Schooling

  The instruction of a student in an
   educational program outside of an
   established school system, typically in
   the home environment
History of Home Schooling
  17th-18th century
     American colonial period, majority of education was home schooling
     Public schools taught trades, these schools were used by the
      underprivileged
     Private tutors were used by the wealthy
  1860s
     States began enacting compulsory attendance laws
         Requiring school attendance for all school age students by law of that
          declared state
     By 1929, compulsory attendance laws existed in every state
  19th century
     Public schooling dominated, home schooling was not used at this
      time
History of Home Schooling
  1957
    Utah was the first state to recognize home schooling as an
     educational option to parents
    Idea of home schooling started to reemerge in American
     society
  1970s
    Home schooling was objected to by school administrators,
     teachers, and teachers unions
    Recent history did not promote home schooling, though it was
     obvious that portions of the current population wanted this
     option
    Courts decided that children needed to be educated and states
     had the right to require education but it was up to the parent to
     decide the type of educational program for their child
  1986
    All states adopted laws recognizing that parents had the option
     to home school
Relevant Court Cases for
Home Schooling
  1923 Meyer v. Nebraska
     A 10 year old was taught German, when the existing law
      stated foreign language could not be taught until 8th
      grade
     Ruled that it is the right of the parent to give their child
      the education they see suitable
  1925 Pierce v. Society of Sisters
     Questioned the Compulsory Education Act, which
      required school aged children to attend public school
      system
     Ruled that this violates the rights of parents to direct the
      education of their children by enforcing a standardized
      system whereby children are forced to be educated by
      public teachers only
     This case changed the state compulsory attendance
      laws, requiring inclusion of both public and non-public
      schools
Relevant Court Cases for
Home Schooling
 1927 Farrington v. Tokushige
    Legality of foreign language schools in Hawaii was questioned
    Ruled “The…parent has the right to direct the education of his
     own child without unreasonable restrictions; the Constitution
     protects him…”
 1972 Wisconsin v. Yoder
    Amish families challenged the age listed in the Compulsory
     Attendance laws
    They believed that sending their children to school beyond the
     8th grade level endangered the practices and ideals of their
     religion
    Ruled that the First Amendment freedom of religion outweighed
     the school attendance laws and if the parental interests were
     religious, rather than personal or philosophical, children were
     exempt from the Compulsory Attendance law and did not have to
     attend school for the required number of years
Relevant Court Cases for
Home Schooling

  1998 Brunelle v. Lynne Public Schools
     The school committee enforced a policy that
      included home visits by the superintendent or
      school representatives to observe and evaluate the
      home schooling process
     Brunelle argued that the home visits were in
      violation of his and his family’s rights
     Ruled that the government may not intrude
      unnecessarily on family affairs
Home Schooling is
Dependent Upon the
Individual State Laws
  Criteria for home schooling varies across all the states
  States have the right to decide the:
        Minimum qualifications for the home instructor
        Curriculum requirements
        Minimum amount of time spent on instruction (hours/day, days/year)
        Measurement of student progress
  States range from having no regulations on home schooling
   (besides compulsory school age) to having strict regulation
   requirements for home schooling
  Pennsylvania is a state with strict regulation requirements for
   home schooling
    Pennsylvania Home
    Education Law
 Compulsory school age: 8-17 years
 Attendance: 180 days/year (900 hrs elementary, 990 hrs secondary)
 Parent must have a High School diploma
 The parent must inform their local superintendent of their decision to
  home school their child/children by August 1st
 Curriculum:
     English: reading, writing, spelling, language, literature, speech, composition
     Math: general math, statistics, algebra, geometry
     Science: basic science, biology, chemistry
     History: geography, US history, PA history, civics, social studies, world
      history, economics
     Foreign language, music, art, physical education, health, safety, fire
      danger/prevention
 Evaluation: portfolio of materials used, examples of work completed,
  written evaluation by a teacher or administrator, and standardized tests
  (submitted yearly)
Reasons for Home
Schooling
  Parent occupations involve extended stays
   outside of a school system
  Families live in rural areas where the
   educational options are limited or not available
  Parent educational experience influenced their
   decision to home school their kids
  Political and/or religious beliefs
  Belief that the “one-size-fits-all” concept used
   in public schools is not beneficial to their
   children
ADVANTAGES
 Of Home Schooling
Main Advantages of Home
Schooling
    The main advantages of home
     schooling involve a parent’s increased
     control & influence in the following
     areas:
        Religious/Philosophical Beliefs
        Socialization
        Academics
    As well as increasing a child’s “family
     time.”
Religion
 Home schooling allows a family to weave their
  convictions into every aspect of their
  "curriculum." They are now in control of the
  subject matter and in control of the topics.
 Provides students with “proper” social, moral,
  and religious values
   Avoid “problem ridden” public schools
   Some parents are under the impression that public
    schools are crime-ridden, drug-filled, dangerous
    environments
   This allows them to incorporate a religious basis to
    the educational curriculum
 Fastest growing group of home schoolers (2/3 of
  families choose it for this reason)
Socialization

  Fewer behavioral problems
    Less negative influences from peers
    More respectful
  Removes them from confinement with their
   “age-mates.”
    With students of the same age, opposed to students
     at the same academic level.
  Increased interactions w/ parents (adults)
    Promotes more mature and poised youth
Academics
(A) Custom-Designed Curriculum
 Flexible schedule to teach desired curriculum.
      Follow interests with a passion, which provides a profound love
       of learning
          Foreign languages
          Music
          Other special skills/academic interests
      Spend as little or as much time on a desired subject
      Learn things when ready
          Encourages & strengthens a child’s individual potential
(B) Children can learn at their own pace.
 Move as fast or as slow as needed
      Encourages self-motivation
      Encourages thinking for themselves
Academics
 (C) Working with the Child’s Learning Style
  Many parents are under the impression that public
   schools are graduating illiterate students who are
   unprepared for the work force due to a lack of
   individualized attention
  Students of average ability, who are able to input &
   process information according to their natural
   learning style, become great learners
     a parent is better able to discover the child's
      learning style
  The traditional classroom is teacher-driven, whereas
   the home school can be student-driven, and the child
   allowed to master areas in the best way at the best
   time for the best results
Do home schooled children
actually do better than
public school children?
 On most academic measures, home schooled students
  outperform public school students on standardized tests.
 The largest study so far, authorized for the Home School
  Legal Defense Association, by University of Maryland
  statistician Lawrence M. Rudner, examined 20,000 home
  schooled students from 50 states.
    The data gathered in this study is consistent with information
     found in the Education Policy Analysis Archives.
 These students scored higher on standardized tests than
  public and private school students in every subject and
  at every grade level.
    The longer their parents had home schooled them, the better
     they did.
Results
 Standardized national tests of skills & achievement:
    Home schoolers scored better than 70-80% of all test takers
 By 8th grade, the median performance of home school
  students is almost 4 grade levels above that of students
  nationwide.
 By 12th grade, home schooled students scored in 92nd
  percentile in reading.

 In 1999, when the SATs began tracking its scores, home
  schooled students scored an average of 1083, 67 points
  above the national average
    They also scored an average of 22.7 on the ACT, which is higher
     than the national average of 21.
Home Schooled Students
Attending College
  69% of home schoolers go on to college
  Parents put together portfolios w/ samples of
   work & lists of accomplishments
    More then 2/3 of American colleges now accept
     such transcripts
    If other standardized tests are required, students
     simply take them
  Harvard, for example, accepts approximately
   10 each year
Home Schooled Students
Attending College
 Home schooled students do well in college, after the initial
  adjustment
    A 1997 study reports that home school students are in fact
     academically, emotionally, & socially prepared to excel in
     college.
    Also in 1997, for example, a four-year study of students at
     Bob Jones University found home schooled children
     scored higher in campus leadership activities than
     students from either the public school system or private
     schools.
 Home school graduates average a 3.3 GPA their freshman
  year, compared to the average 3.12 GPA received by
  public school graduates
    "Home schoolers bring certain skills -- motivation, curiosity,
     the capacity to be responsible for their education -- that
     high schools don't induce very well," says Jon Reider,
     Stanford's senior associate director of admissions.
“Family Time”
 Brings families closer together.
 Parents feel that children need to learn from
  people who care deeply about them.
 After a child enters the public school system,
  they begin spending more awake time with
  peers than parents.
   Less emphasis on parent-child relationship
 Parents become the main role-model in a home
  schooling environment.
   Easier to instill values & morals
   Improved language development
   Minimizes friction between teens & parents
What Can Public Schools
Do?
  In a study conducted in Kentucky in
   1998, the question, “What can public
   schools do to re-attract families who
   home school their children?” was asked.
  The #1 answer received was:
    “Infuse religion into the practices and
     curriculum of the public schools.”
Five Main Disadvantages
   of Home Schooling
   Time and Effort
   Limits of the Teacher
   Lack of Recognition
   Financial
   Socialization
         Time and Effort

Time consuming for parents
      Designing the curriculum
      Getting the materials
      Teaching the curriculum
Effort
      Energy to stay informed
  Limits of the Teacher

 Feel inadequate to teach subject in coherent
  and skillful manner.
      Sciences
      Languages
      Multicultural awareness
 Lack of resources
      Enrichment activities
      Books
      Fundamental Materials
Lack of Recognition from
   Public/Community
  Academically
     SAT scores
     Spelling Bees
  Athletics
                Financial

 School Districts
      They are funded by the number of students
       enrolled. When students are pulled out, the
       school loses that funding.
      Without funding, other effects could happen
         Extra curricular programs like sports, music, and arts.
              Financial

 Parents/Family
     They have to buy the materials
     Provide transportation for field trips
     Lost of income since one parent stays home.
           Socialization

 Diversity
    Not exposed to diversity
         Religious views
         Cultures
         Customs
         Languages
         Political
           Socialization

 Becky Martin, 17, stated:
      “I feel the school setting is providing a ground for
       what lies ahead.”
      She was home schooled, went to catholic school,
       then home schooled again because she couldn’t
       conform to the teacher’s method of teaching.
Group’s Conclusion

  As a group, we feel that parents should
   not be encouraged to home school their
   children; however, we do acknowledge
   that home schooling is a viable option for
   parents.


  Questions?
Resources
  http://www.oakmeadow.com/resources/articles/Social.htm
  http://www.epc.msu.edu/issues/homeschool.htm
  http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry?id=h025305
   0
  http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112617.html
  http://www.iatdp.org/Articles/Journal%20Article%20Attendance%2
   0Violations.htm
  http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/me
   yer.htm
  http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/case/305/
  http://www.mainstream.com/nhpolitics/getcase.farrington.html
  http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/case/449/
  http://www.txjf.org/mschs.html
  http://www.hslda.org/
             Resources
 http://www.city-
  journal.org/html/10_3_an_a_for_home.html
 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
  bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/01/2
  9/NB66774.D.html
 http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v7n8/
 http://www.cato.org/cgi-
  bin/scripts/printtech.cgi/pubs/pas/pa-294.html
 Homeschooling: Parents’ Reactions by:
  Margaret Martin